Officials discuss decision to open storm shelters

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — County leaders have been watching the forecast for a few days now, preparing for storms. Now, with the severe weather approaching, several shelters have opened.

“We take all the storms very seriously. Our area has been hit several times over the last several years, so we don’t take any of them lightly, and the scariest part is where they can just pop up out of nowhere,” said Stephanie Williams, director of planning and operations for the Jackson-Madison County Emergency Management Agency. “When all the conditions are right and the ingredients are there, then you should take that very seriously and today is one of those days.”

In Madison County, both the Carl Perkins Civic Center and the McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport are open as shelters.

Together, those buildings can hold several hundred people.

If you plan on going to either of those locations, you can not bring in firearms, alcohol or animals. You can only bring snacks, water bottles and important documents if necessary.

“You just need to bring you and your loved ones, maybe some paperwork like your birth certificates or passport,s important documents like your insurance in case your home gets damaged,” Williams said.

In Gibson County, the Hawkins-Whitby FEMA Community Safe Room in Milan is also open to take shelter.

All shelters will remain open until the weather threat has passed.

Officials say if you hear sirens, it’s too late to travel to a shelter. Instead, identify a place inside your home to take shelter.

“If you do catch yourself at home, please don’t jump in vehicles, don’t try to outrun the storm,” Milan Fire Chief Steven Dillard said.

“You need to look for the lowest level of your home with the most interior room,” Williams said. “Stay away from windows, get underneath something sturdy, and cover your head.”

Make sure you have flashlights, batteries and a way to receive weather alerts.

“Take precautions, make plans to get ahead of that storm where you’re going to go, and what you’re going to do,” Chief Dillard said.

For a list of shelters that are open across West Tennessee, click here.